Proceedings of the ASME 2016 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition

IMECE2016
November 11-17, 2016, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

IMECE2016-67164

THERMAL PERFORMANCE OF SIERPINSKI CARPET FRACTAL FINS IN A

FORCED CONVECTION ENVIRONMENT

David Calamas Daniel Dannelley

Georgia Southern University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Statesboro, GA, USA Prescott, AZ, USA

Gyunay Keten
Georgia Southern University
Statesboro, GA, USA

ABSTRACT
When certain fractal geometries are used in the design of
fins or heat sinks the surface area available for heat transfer can
be increased while system mass can be simultaneously
decreased. The Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern, when utilized in
the design of an extended surface, can provide more effective
heat dissipation while simultaneously reducing mass. In order to
assess the thermal performance of fractal fins for application in
the thermal management of electronic devices an experimental
investigation was performed. The first four fractal iterations of
the Sierpinski carpet pattern, used in the design of extended
surfaces, were examined in a forced convection environment.
The thermal performance of the Sierpinski carpet fractal fins was
quantified by the following performance metrics: efficiency,
effectiveness, and effectiveness per unit mass. The fractal fins
were experimentally examined in a thermal testing tunnel for a
range of Reynolds numbers. As the Reynolds number increased,
the fin efficiency, effectiveness and effectiveness per unit mass
were found to decrease. However, as the Reynolds number
increased the Nusselt number was found to similarly increase
due to higher average heat transfer coefficients. The fourth
iteration of the fractal pattern resulted in a 6.73% and 70.97%
increase in fin effectiveness and fin effectiveness per unit mass
when compared with the zeroth iteration for a Reynolds number
of 6.5E3. However, the fourth iteration of the fractal pattern
resulted in a 1.93% decrease in fin effectiveness and 57.09%
increase in fin effectiveness per unit mass when compared with
the zeroth iteration for a Reynolds number of 1.3E4. The
contribution of thermal radiation to the rate of heat transfer was
as high as 62.90% and 33.69% for Reynolds numbers of 6.5E3
and 1.3E4 respectively.
INTRODUCTION
The removal of excess heat generated by electrical
equipment is an essential task to ensure optimal performance and
to reduce the risk of component failures. Therefore, it is critically
important to implement higher performance thermal
management solutions in order to reduce the temperature to
within operational limits. Typically, extended surfaces in the
form of heat sinks are attached to locations where this excess
heat must be dissipated. In many applications, for example in the
aerospace industry, it is desired to use the least volume and mass
of a material as possible while maximizing heat transfer. Certain
fractal geometries can be used in the design of extended surfaces
to increase the surface area for heat transfer while
simultaneously decreasing the system mass.
Dannelley and Baker [1] experimentally investigated the use
of fractal geometries to enhance the thermal performance of
extended surfaces used for passive thermal management and
concluded the effectiveness of the fractal fins was proportional
to the surface area available for heat transfer. Dannelley and
Baker concluded the effectiveness of extended surfaces with a
Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern offered greater effectiveness per
unit mass when compared with traditionally utilized straight
rectangular fins. Daniel and Baker experimentally tested the first
three fractal iterations of the Sierpinski carpet pattern and
hypothesized that a fourth iteration of the Sierpinski carpet
fractal pattern would result in improved performance but were
unable to experimentally verify their hypothesis due to
fabrication constraints. In addition, Dannelley and Baker isolated
natural convection heat transfer in their calculations and thus did
not comment on the impact of thermal radiation heat transfer.
Dannelley and Baker [2] computationally investigated the use of

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 fractal geometries to enhance the thermal performance of
extended surfaces dissipating waste heat by natural convection
alone and found a fourth iteration of the Sierpinski carpet fractal
pattern can sufficiently improve fin effectiveness and
effectiveness per unit mass when compared with traditionally
employed straight rectangular fins. Daniel and Baker studied
Sierpinski carpet fractal fins of various width-to-thickness ratios
and concluded that fin effectiveness was inversely proportional
to width-to-thickness ratio. Dannelley and Baker [3]
computationally investigated the use of fractal geometries to
enhance the thermal performance of extended surfaces
dissipating waste heat by thermal radiation to free space and
found fin effectiveness per unit mass increased with fractal
iteration for the Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern despite
decreases in fin effectiveness and fin efficiency. Dannelley and
Baker also developed a correlation for the effectiveness of
Sierpinski carpet fractal fins radiating to free space for surface
emissivities greater than or equal to 0.8. Calamas et al. [4]
experimentally examined the thermal performance of fins
inspired by the first four fractal iterations of the Sierpinski carpet
pattern in a natural convection environment. Calamas et al. found
that the fourth fractal iteration resulted in an increase in fin
effectiveness and fin effectiveness per unit mass as hypothesized
by Dannelley and Baker [1]. In addition, Calamas et al. found
that thermal radiation accounted for a significant portion of the
total rate of heat transfer and should not be neglected.
While not employing fractal patterns, there are numerous
studies which examine the thermal performance of various fin
geometries with perforations to enhance heat transfer. Shaeri et
al. [5] computationally investigated conjugate heat transfer from
an array of rectangular fins with square perforations. The
perforations in the rectangular fins were located parallel to the
flow direction. Shaeri et al. concluded that for a Reynolds
number range of 2000 to 5000 fins with perforations had lower
average friction coefficients when compared with solid fins. In
addition, as the number of perforations increased fin efficiency
was found to decrease due to a larger temperature difference
between the base and tip of the fins. Shaeri and Yaghoubi [6]
computationally investigated conjugate heat transfer from an
array of rectangular fins with square perforations located
perpendicular to the flow direction. Shaeri and Yaghoubi found
for low Reynolds numbers the perforated fins offered similar
performance as solid fins. However, for higher Reynolds
numbers, perforated fins resulted in a significant increase in heat
transfer. As the number of perforations increased so did the heat
transfer enhancement. Shaeri and Jen [7] computationally
examined the effects of size and number of perforations on the
thermal performance of a rectangular fin array. As in Shaeri and
Yaghoubi [6] the perforations were located perpendicular to the
flow direction. Shaeri and Jen found for the same porosity fins
with a smaller number of perforations were more efficient than
fins with a larger number of perforations. Thus, for the same
porosity, fins with larger perforations offer the greatest heat
transfer enhancement.
Ismail et al. [8] numerically investigated the performance of
perforated rectangular fins. The rectangular fins were perforated
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parallel to the flow direction (i.e. lateral perforations). Ismail et
al. investigated the effect of square, circular, triangular, and
hexagonal perforations on the rate of heat transfer. Under the
range of Reynolds number studied, solid fins without
perforations resulted in the largest Nusselt numbers while fins
with triangular perforations resulted in the lowest Nusselt
numbers. Of the various geometries investigated, hexagonal
perforations resulted in the fin greatest effectiveness, regardless
of Reynolds number.
Thermal radiation heat transfer, while often neglected in
natural convection studies, can account for a significant
percentage of the total heat transfer. Yu et al. [9] experimentally
and numerically investigated the performance of a radial heat
sink in a natural convection environment with and without
thermal radiation. By varying the emissivity of the radial heat
sink Yu et al. found that thermal radiation could account for up
to 27% of the total rate of heat transfer. Yu et al. found that as the
emissivity increased the optimal fin length decreased and the
number of fins increased. Yu et al. concluded that neglecting
thermal radiation heat transfer could result in a fin with a non-
optimal configuration. Azarkish et al. [10] investigated the
geometric optimization of a longitudinal fin with volumetric heat
generation and found that the contribution of thermal radiation
heat transfer, even for small values of surface emissivities, was
large and should not be neglected.
Previously, the effectiveness of Sierpinski carpet extended
surfaces has been experimentally investigated in a natural
convection environment [1, 2]. A fourth fractal iteration of the
Sierpinski carpet pattern resulted in a 3.5% increase in
effectiveness and a 68.0 % increase in effectiveness per unit mass
when compared with a straight rectangular extended surface of
equal base area and package volume. This work will, for the first
time, investigate the thermal performance of Sierpinski carpet
extended surfaces in a forced convection environment. Both
convection heat transfer and radiation heat transfer will be
experimentally investigated. Fins inspired by the first four fractal
iterations of the Sierpinski carpet pattern will be examined.
NOMENCLATURE
A area (m2)
b base
H height (m)
h heat transfer coefficient (W/m2·K)
k thermal conductivity (W/m·K)
L length (m)
m mass (kg)
Nu Nusselt number
n fractal iteration
Q heat transfer rate (W)
s surface
Re Reynolds number
T temperature (°C)
t tip, thickness (m)
V velocity (m/s)
w width, uncertainty
x Cartesian coordinate (m)
 y Cartesian coordinate (m)
z Cartesian coordinate (m)
ε emissivity, effectiveness
η efficiency
σ Stefan-Boltzmann constant (W/m2·K4)
ν kinematic viscosity (m2/s)
SIERPINSKI CARPET FRACTAL FINS
In this experimental investigation, the Sierpinski carpet
fractal pattern was utilized to increase the thermal performance
of traditional straight rectangular fins of uniform cross-section.
The nomenclature and coordinate system used to describe the
Sierpinski carpet extended surfaces can be seen in Fig. 1.
Figure 1. NOMENCLATURE AND COORDINATE SYSTEM
Gravity acts in the negative y direction as defined in Fig. 1. A
uniform velocity was supplied in the positive x direction. All fins
were orientated parallel to the direction of gravity as well as
parallel to the flow direction. The fins protrude from insulation
in the positive y direction.
The structure of the Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern begins
with a square. The initial square, or zeroth fractal iteration, is
composed of nine congruent squares each with a width one-third
smaller than that of the previous fractal iteration. The central
square is removed completing the first fractal iteration. After the
central square is removed the previous procedure is applied
recursively to the remaining squares until the desired fractal
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iteration is achieved. The zeroth fractal iteration, a solid square,
can be seen in Fig. 1 while the first four fractal iterations of the
Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern can be seen in Fig. 2.
Figure 2. SIERPINSKI CARPET FRACTAL ITERATIONS
The mass of a Sierpinski carpet extended surface is dependent
on fractal iteration alone and can be found using Eq. (1). The
surface area of a Sierpinski carpet extended surface, also
dependent on fractal iteration, can be found using Eq. (2).
𝑛
𝑤 2
𝑚(𝑛) = [𝑤 − ∑ 8𝑛−1 (
2
) ] 𝜌𝑡 (1)
3𝑛
1
𝑛
𝑤 2 𝑤
𝐴𝑠 (𝑛) = 2𝑤 2 + 3𝑤𝑡 − ∑ 8𝑛−1 [2 ( ) − 4 ( 𝑛 ) 𝑡] (2)
3𝑛 3
1
The process of removing material with fractal iteration results in
a reduction in mass with each iteration as seen in Fig. 3. Unlike
the mass, the surface area of the Sierpinski carpet extended
surfaces is also dependent on the width-to-thickness ratio of the
extended surface. The Sierpinski carpet extended surfaces
utilized in the present investigation have a width-to-thickness
ratio of 32. For this width-to-thickness ratio, the surface area
decreases with the first three fractal iterations and increases at
the fourth fractal iteration and with subsequent iterations
thereafter as seen in Fig.4. The fourth iteration of the Sierpinski
carpet fractal pattern results in a mass 37.57% less than that of
the zeroth iteration and a surface area 23.65% greater than that
of the zeroth iteration for a width-to-thickness ratio of 32.
The fractal fins were manufactured out of Aluminum 5052
and anodized with a matte black surface finish to achieve a
surface emissivity of 0.99. Each fractal fin has a width and height
of 10.16 cm (4 in) and a thickness of 0.3175 cm (1/8 in). The
 mass and surface area of the Sierpinski carpet fractal fins utilized
in the experimental analysis can be seen in Table 1.
Table 1. SIERPINSKI CARPET FIN MASS AND AREA
n As (cm2) m (g)
0 212.90 87.83
1 194.26 78.08
2 185.34 69.40
3 197.80 61.69
4 263.25 54.83
EXPERIMENTAL METHODS
An overview of the experimental layout can be seen in Fig.
3. A known heat was applied to the base of the fractal fins using
Kapton® flexible thin film insulated heaters, which are adhered
to the fins with a pressure sensitive adhesive (Omega KHLV-
104/2-P). Power to the flexible thin film heaters was supplied by
an adjustable power supply (B&K Precision 9130). The base of
the fractal fins were covered by 5.08 cm (2 in) of melamine foam
insulation (Techlite®) and were placed on 5.08 cm (2 in) of
additional insulation. The fractal fins were experimentally
examined in a wind tunnel intended for the thermal evaluation of
circuit boards and heat sinks (Omega WT-2000). Four DC fans
provide variable air speeds to the test section in the thermal wind
tunnel. The temperature and the velocity of the air in the thermal
wind tunnel was recorded by a 4 channel hot wire anemometer
system (Omega TVS-1004).
Figure 3. EXPERIMENTAL LAYOUT
The temperature and velocity measurement system utilized 4
candlestick style sensors. The candlestick sensors have a slim
and low profile to minimize the disturbance of heat and fluid
flow in the test domain. A Type T self-adhesive thermocouple
(Omega SA1-T-72) was used to measure the surface temperature
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of the flexible thin film heaters. Omega Type T thermocouples
(TMQSS-125U-12) were used to measure the heat loss through
the insulation at three different locations: 2.54 cm (1in) from the
back of the fin, 2.54 cm (1 in) from the side of the fin, and 2.54
cm (1 in) below the fin. A benchtop temperature controller
(Omega MCS-2110) was used to monitor the temperature at the
interface of the flexible thin film heater and the insulation in
order to ensure the temperature of the heater did not exceed the
operating temperature range of the insulation. A 16 channel
thermocouple compact data acquisition (DAQ) module
(National Instruments 9213) and chassis (National Instruments
cDAQ-9171) was used in conjunction with National Instruments
LabVIEW to monitor and record the temperatures of the
thermocouples. A FLIR A325sc infrared camera was used to
measure the temperature profile of the fractal fins as well as the
average temperatures at the base and tip of the fins. FLIR’s
ResearchIR software was used to interface with the infrared
camera. The infrared camera imaged through a FLIR IR Window
with broadband transmission. Each Sierpinski carpet fractal fin
was uniformly heated at the base by the flexible thin film heaters
for a power input of 10 W. Final temperatures were recorded
after each thermocouple reached steady state. Each Sierpinski
carpet fractal fin was examined under two, uniform, inlet
velocities of 1 m/s and 2 m/s which corresponded to Reynolds
numbers of 6.5E3 and 1.3E4 respectively. Each Sierpinski carpet
fractal fin was tested 5 times and results will be presented in the
form of average values unless otherwise noted. The five
Sierpinski carpet fractal fins experimentally examined,
corresponding to the first 4 fractal iterations of the Sierpinski
carpet fractal pattern, can be seen in Fig. 4.
Figure 4. SIERPINSKI CARPET FRACTAL FINS
 EXPERIMENTAL CALCULATIONS
The total power supplied to each fractal fin via a thin film
heater was calculated from the product of the voltage and current
outputted by the benchtop power supply. The loss through the
insulation was found by measuring the surface temperature at the
base of the fin and the temperature of the insulation at a location
2.54 cm (1 in) below the fin, behind the fin, and to the side of the
fin. Fourier’s law was then used to calculate the total heat loss
through the insulation as seen in Eq. 3.
𝜕𝑇
𝑄̇𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑠 = ∑ (−𝑘𝐴𝑠 ) (3)
𝜕𝑛
The Nusselt number is a correlation of the convective to
conductive heat transfer. The Nusselt number may be calculated
using Eq. 10.
ℎ𝐿𝑐
Nu = (10)
𝑘
All thermal and fluid properties were evaluated at the film
temperature of the fins and were assumed to remain constant.
The characteristic length used in the definition of the Reynolds
number and the Nusselt number was assumed to be the length of
the fins in the flow direction (10.16 cm).

The ambient temperature, measured by a thermocouple, and the EXPERIMENTAL UNCERTAINTY

average surface temperature as measured by the infrared camera, Each of the 5 Sierpinski carpet fractal fins was subjected to
were used to calculate the heat dissipated by the fin via thermal 10 W of power applied at the base of the fin and was
radiation as seen in Eq. 4. experimentally tested 5 times. The average and standard
deviation for fin efficiency, fin effectiveness, and fin
𝑄̇𝑟𝑎𝑑 = 𝜀𝜎𝐴𝑠 (𝑇𝑠4 − 𝑇∞4 ) (4) effectiveness per unit mass for each of the Sierpinski carpet
fractal fins at 1 m/s and 2 m/s velocity can be seen in Table 2 and
The rate of convective heat transfer was found by subtracting the Table 3 respectively. Both a statistical analysis and an
heat loss through the insulation and the heat dissipated by experimental uncertainty analysis were performed. A 95%
thermal radiation from the power supplied to the fin as seen in confidence level was utilized in the following analysis.
Eq. 5.
𝑄̇𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣 = 𝑃 − 𝑄̇𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑠 − 𝑄̇𝑟𝑎𝑑 (5) Table 2. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS (Re = 6.5E3)
η ε ε/mn (kg-1)
Once the rate of convective heat transfer was determined the n Avg. Std. Avg. Std. Avg. Std.
average heat transfer coefficient could be calculated as seen in 0 0.90 0.010 59.50 0.68 677.38 7.77
Eq. 6. 1 0.87 0.001 52.63 0.05 674.12 0.58
𝑄̇𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣 2 0.85 0.001 48.79 0.08 702.99 1.13
ℎ= (6)
𝐴𝑠 (𝑇𝑠 − 𝑇∞ ) 3 0.81 0.006 49.70 0.37 805.72 6.02
4 0.78 0.006 63.50 0.37 1158.09 6.02
The two primary performance metrics used when evaluated the
thermal performance of extended surfaces are fin efficiency and
Table 3. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS (Re = 1.3E4)
fin effectiveness. Fin efficiency is the ratio of the actual heat
transfer rate from the fin to the ideal heat transfer rate from the
fin if the entire fin were at the base temperature. The fin η ε ε/mn (kg-1)
efficiency was calculated using Eq. 7 n Avg. Std. Avg. Std. Avg. Std.
0 0.85 0.002 56.37 0.11 641.77 1.21
𝑄̇𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣 1 0.83 0.003 49.91 0.17 639.30 2.17
𝜂= (7)
ℎ𝐴𝑠 (𝑇𝑏 − 𝑇∞ ) 2 0.79 0.003 45.43 0.17 654.54 2.42
3 0.74 0.006 45.51 0.38 737.72 6.24
Fin effectiveness is the ratio of the actual heat transfer rate from 4 0.68 0.006 55.28 0.38 1008.15 6.24
the fin to the heat transfer rate from the base area in the absence
of the fin. The fin effectiveness was calculated using Eq. 8. Experimental uncertainty calculations were performed as
presented in Wheeler and Ghanji [11] and shown in Eq. 11.
𝑄̇𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣 1
𝜀= (8) 𝜕𝑆 2 2
ℎ𝐴𝑏 (𝑇𝑏 − 𝑇∞ ) 𝑤𝑠 = [∑ {( ) 𝑤𝑥𝑛 } ] (11)
𝜕𝑥𝑛
The Reynolds number describes the relationship between inertia
and viscous forces and was calculating using Eq. 9. The measurement uncertainty of the infrared camera was 2°C.
The measurement uncertainty for the thermocouples was 1°C.
𝑉𝐿𝑐 The measurement uncertainty for the voltage and current output
Re = (9)
𝜈 from the benchtop power supply was 0.01% + 3mV and 0.2% +
3mA respectively. The measurement uncertainty for the digital

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 micrometer used to measure the surface area of the fins was 0.01 65
mm. The measurement uncertainty for the scale used to measure Re = 6.5E3
the mass of the fins was 0.1g. The experimental uncertainty for Re = 1.3E4
the fin efficiency, fin effectiveness, and effectiveness per unit 60
mass for each of the Sierpinski carpet fractal fins can be seen in
Table 4 and Table 5 and were based off calculations performed
from Eq. 11. 55

ε
Table 4. EXPERIMENTAL UNCERTAINTY (Re = 6.5E3)
50
n wη wε wε/m (kg-1)
0 0.063 4.18 47.61
1 0.050 3.04 38.96 45
0 1 2 3 4
2 0.045 2.60 37.41
n
3 0.045 2.79 45.17
4 0.094 7.65 139.51 Figure 5. FIN EFFECTIVENESS AS A FUNCTION OF
FRACTAL ITERATION AND REYNOLDSNUMBER
Table 5. EXPERIMENTAL UNCERTAINTY (Re = 1.3E4) 1.25
-1
n wη wε wε/m (kg )
0 0.040 2.65 30.15 1.15
1 0.034 2.07 26.54 An/A0
2 0.030 1.74 25.15
1.05
3 0.029 1.78 28.92
4 0.038 3.13 57.06
0.95

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
The effectiveness of the Sierpinski carpet fractal fins can be
seen in Fig. 5. The effectiveness of the fractal fins decreases for
the first three iterations of the Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern
and then increases after the fourth iteration. This corresponds to
an increase in surface area after the fourth iteration as shown in
Fig. 6. Subsequent iterations would thus result in a further
increase in effectiveness. As the Reynolds number increases the
effectiveness decreases. When compared to the baseline case of
a straight rectangular fin of uniform cross section, or fractal
iteration 0, the fourth iteration of the Sierpinski carpet fractal
pattern results in an increase in effectiveness of 6.73% for a
Reynolds number of 6.5E3. However, the same fin resulted in a
1.93% decrease in effectiveness for a Reynolds number of 1.3E4.
Thus, fins inspired by the Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern may
only be desirable in natural and mixed convection environments.
For a Reynolds number of 1.3E4 the fin inspired by the fourth
iteration of the Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern is 5.67% lower
than that of the zeroth iteration. However, this decrease in the
average heat transfer coefficient is offset by a 23.65% increase
in surface area. In addition, a larger percentage of the total heat
transfer rate is attributed to thermal radiation for the fourth
fractal iteration.
0.85
0 1 2 3 4
n
Figure 6. SURFACE AREA RATIO AS A FUNCTION OF
FRACTAL ITERATION
The efficiency of the Sierpinski carpet fractal fins can be
seen in Fig. 7. The efficiency of the fractal fins decreases with
each fractal iteration. The efficiency of the fractal fins decreases
with iteration due to the ever increasing temperature gradient
between the base and tip of the fin. The efficiency of the
Sierpinski carpet fractal fins also decreases as the Reynolds
number increases. As the Reynolds number increases so does the
average heat transfer coefficient. In addition, the contribution of
natural convection as compared to thermal radiation heat transfer
becomes more significant as the Reynolds number increases.
This leads to decreasing fin tip temperatures and thus less
efficient fins. Both fin effectiveness and fin efficiency decrease
as the Reynolds number increases further indicating that
Sierpinski carpet fractal fins may only be advantageous in
natural and forced convection environments.

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 straight rectangular fin of equal width, height, thickness, and
1.00
Re = 6.5E3 package volume. A fin inspired by the fourth iteration of the
0.95 Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern is 70.97% and 57.09% more
Re = 1.3E4
0.90 effective per unit mass for Reynolds numbers of 6.5E3 and 1.3E4
respectively.
0.85
0.80
η

1.0
0.75
0.70 0.9
0.65

mn/m0
0.60 0.8
0 1 2 3 4
n
0.7
Figure 7. FIN EFFICIENCY AS A FUNCTION OF FRACTAL
ITERATION AND REYNOLDS NUMBER
0.6
In order to quantify the fact that the surface area of a fin 0 1 2 3 4
inspired by the fourth iteration of the Sierpinski carpet fractal n
pattern has a surface area larger than, and mass smaller than, a
straight rectangular fin of uniform cross-section a new Figure 9. FIN MASS RATIO AS A FUNCTION OF FRACTAL
performance metric is used [1]. This performance metric is the ITERATION
fin effectiveness per unit mass and can be seen in Fig. 8
The contribution of thermal radiation to the total amount of
1200 heat transfer, while important, is often neglected. The
Re = 6.5E3 contribution of thermal radiation and natural convection as a
1100 Re = 1.3E4 function of fractal iteration can be seen in Figs. 10 and 11 for
Reynolds numbers of 6.5E3 and 1.3E4 respectively. Both natural
1000 convection and thermal radiation account for a significant
ε/m (kg-1)

portion of the total heat transfer rate for a Reynolds number of

900
800
700
600
0 1 2 3 4 iteration.
n The contribution of thermal radiation heat transfer follows a
Figure 8. FIN EFFECTIVENESS PER UNIT MASS AS A
FUNCTION OF FRACTAL ITERATION
While the effectiveness of the fin inspired by the fourth iteration
of the Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern is greater than the
effectiveness of the zeroth iteration, or baseline case, all
iterations are more effective than the zeroth iteration on a per unit
mass basis. There is an exponential decay in mass with iteration
for the Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern. Sierpinski carpet fin
mass is a function of fractal iteration alone and approaches zero
asymptotically as the fractal iteration approaches infinity.
Sierpinski carpet fractal fin mass as a function of iteration can be
seen in Fig. 9. A fin inspired by the fourth iteration of the
Sierpinski carpet fractal has 37.57% less mass than a traditional
6.5E3. However, for a Reynolds number of 1.3E4 natural
convection heat transfer dominates thermal radiation heat
transfer. This is because as the Reynolds number increases so
does the average heat transfer coefficient and thus the
contribution of natural convection heat transfer. The increase in
the average heat transfer coefficient is evident in Fig. 12 which
shows the dimensionless Nusselt number as a function of fractal
pattern qualitatively similar to the surface area ratio seen in Fig.
6, particularly for a Reynolds number of 6.5E3. The surface area
ratio, and the contribution of thermal radiation, decreases for the
first 2 fractal iterations. After the 3rd fractal iteration the surface
area ratio, and the contribution of thermal radiation, increases.
This is, in part, due to an increase in inter-surface thermal
radiation within the perforations. In addition, as the perforation
size decreases, it is expected that forced convection heat transfer
inside the perforations will decrease due to viscous forces
dominating buoyancy forces. Regardless of iteration, in the case
of the Sierpinski carpet fractal fins experimentally investigated,
thermal radiation should not be neglected.

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 65
Radiation CONCLUSION
Heat Transfer Contribution (%)

60 Convection The performance of fins inspired by the first four iterations

of the Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern was experimentally
55
investigated in a forced convection environment. For a Reynolds
50 number of 6.5E3 a fin inspired by the fourth iteration of the
Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern was 6.73% more effective than
45 the zeroth iteration, a straight rectangular fin of uniform cross-
section. However, for a Reynolds number of 1.3E4 there was a
40 1.93% decrease in fin effectiveness when compared to the zeroth
iteration. Fin efficiency and fin effectiveness were found to
35 decrease as the Reynolds number increased. Thus, Sierpinski
30 carpet fractal fins may only be desirable in natural and mixed
0 1 2 3 4 convection environments. In addition, thermal radiation
n accounted for a significant portion of the total heat transfer rate
Figure 10. PERCENT CONTRIBUTION OF HEAT TRANSFER for a Reynolds number of 6.5E3. However, as the Reynolds
FOR Re = 6.5E3 number increased the contribution of thermal radiation
decreased. Thermal radiation should thus not be neglected in
80 natural and mixed convection environments. Regardless of
Radiation Reynolds number the effectiveness per unit mass of Sierpinski
Heat Transfer Contribution (%)

Convection carpet fractal fins increases with iteration.

70
REFERENCES
60
[1] Dannelley, D., and Baker, J., 2012, “Natural Convection Fin
Performance Using Fractal-Like Geometries,” J.
50 Thermophysics and Heat Transfer, 26(4), pp. 657-664.
[2] Dannelley, D., and Baker, J., 2013, “Natural Convection
40 Heat Transfer from Fractal-Like Fins,” J. Thermophysics
and Heat Transfer, 27(4), pp. 692-699.
30 [3] Dannelley, D., and Baker, J., 2013, “Radiant Fin
Performance Using Fractal-Like Geometries,” J. Heat
20 Transfer, 135(8).
0 1 2 3 4 [4] Calamas, D., Dannelley, D., and Keten, G., 2016,
n “Experimental Effectiveness of Sierpinski Carpet Fractal
Figure 11. PERCENT CONTRIBUTION OF HEAT TRANSFER Fins in a Natural Convection Environment,” J. Heat
FOR Re = 1.3E4 Transfer.
[5] Shaeri, M. R., Yaghoubi, M., and Jafarpur, K., 2009, “Heat
80 Transfer Analysis of Lateral Perforated Fin Heat Sinks,” J.
Re = 6.5E3 Applied Energy, 86, pp. 2019-2029.
70 Re = 1.3E4 [6] Shaeri, M. R., and Yaghoubi, M., 2009, “Thermal
60 Enhancement from heat Sinks by using Perforated Fins,” J.
Energy Conversion and Management, 50, pp. 1264-1270.
50
[7] Shaeri, M. R., and Jen T.C., 2012, “The Effects of
Nu

40 Perforation Sizes on Laminar Heat Transfer Characteristics

30 of an Array of Perforated Fins,” J. Energy Conversion and
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20 [8] Ismail, M. F., Hasan, M. N., and Saha, S. C., 2014,
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0 1 2 3 4 [9] Yu, S.H., Jang, D., and Lee, K.S., 2012, “Effect of Radiation
n in a Radial Heat Sink under Natural Convection,” Int. J.
Heat Mass Transfer, 55, pp. 505-509.
Figure 12. NUSSELT NUMBER AS A FUNCTION OF [10] Azarkish, H., Sarvari, S.M.H., and Behzadmehr, A., 2010,
FRACTAL ITERATION AND REYNOLDS NUMBER “Optimum Geometry Design of a Longitudinal Fin with

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 Volumetric Heat Generation under the Influences of Natural
Convection and Radiation,” Energy Conversion and
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[11] Wheeler, A.J., and Ghanji, A.R., 2004, Introduction to
Engineering Experimentation, 2nd ed., Prentice-Hall, Upper
Saddle River, NJ, US

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